Broken
by MJ1010
Summary: Rocky has passed and his son is left to carry the heavy burden of living up to the Balboa name. Reluctant to become a fighter, he recieves an oppurtunity that may be too hard to pass up. I love Rocky. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**I hope this is worth your time. Enjoy.**

It was late. His bones were sore. It had been a long day.

He wore his leather jacket with pride as he strolled down the streets of Philly. His father gave him this jacket. Right before he died.

Being the son of a heavy weight champion was a difficult burden sometimes.

They never saw Rocky Jr. Just Rocky.

With his rich black hair, deep chocolate brown eyes, and Italian complexion he was the mirror image of his father. They had a rough relationship. He was ashamed of himself for keeping his father at a distance after his mother passed away. When Rocky Jr. thought back to all that time they had wasted, it often left him with an ache that he knew would never go away.

The streets still chanted his father's name.

He was a great man.

Rocky Jr. wished he knew him better.

He made his way to his apartment building. There was no space or privacy in these homes. The buildings touched, just enough to remind him of that. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

His father had left him _Adrian's_. The restaurant he opened after his mother had passed. It was a tribute to her. Rocky even used some of her recipe's and said it was the next best thing to having her home.

He envied the love between his parents. It couldn't be described in words.

He remembered visiting his mother in the hospital toward the end when she was sick. The tension between father and son was at it's peak. But she always managed to calm them. Bring them together.

Rocky Jr. glanced back as he left the room and his father leaned down to kiss his wife's forehead. He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and told her he loved her.

She didn't have to say it back. It was in her eyes. It always was.

She passed the day after. His father was lost for a while after that. And no matter how many times he tried to reach out to his son, he was always too busy. Rocky Jr. sat on the steps in front of his building. The heavy burden of life crashed down around him.

He was lost in thought until he heard someone talking to him.

She had to repeat herself twice because he couldn't get over how beautiful she was.

"Excuse me, is this East Tusculum Street?" She hesitated as he continued to stare.

He shook his head yes, feeling foolish.

She was stunning. Even in the pale glow of the street lights. She had dark chestnut hair and a heart shaped face. But it was her eyes that captivated him. They were kind. Sweet. She reminded him of his mother.

"Thank you." She began up the stairs. She was looking at the directory.

"Are you looking for someone?" He asked.

"Yes actually. Rocky Balboa Jr.?" She read his name off of a wrinkled piece of paper.

"That's me." He said, suddenly suspicious.

"Oh. Hello." She smiled at him. He remained silent.

"My name is Brianna Concetti. I work for Mr. Tony Ever's. You may know him by his nickname. Duke. He trained Mr. Apollo Creed and then well, as you may know, he trained your father."

Rocky Jr. remained silent. The subject of his father always put him on the defense.

"I'm here to offer you a rare opportunity Mr. Balboa."

He cringed at hearing his name said like that. Cold. Business-like.

"We know that you have been training at a local gym. We also know that you've signed up for local sparring matches and competitions. From what we hear, and read, you're pretty good." She hesitated. "Better then good."

He shrugged not admitting to anything yet.

"Mr. Evers would like to train you Mr. Balboa. I'll be honest. You're father was a legend. His legacy is yours now. You seem to have inherited his south paw style and that's difficult but we will be able to train you to use both…"

She continued to speak and he held up a hand to stop her.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are you offering me here? Train me for what?"

She stared at him as if he had two heads.

"For a chance at the title Mr. Balboa. The heavy weight champion knows of your father and knows of you. He desperatley wants to set up a fight with you. Unfinished business he says. You may know him? His name is Franky Gunn. Tommy Gunn's son."

At the mention of that name, Rocky Jr.'s blood boiled beyond comprehension. That man was the start of the tension between his father and him. Rocky made a lot of mistakes in his life. And letting a perfect stranger take his son's place was one of them.

"Not interested." Rocky Jr. began up the steps.

"But wait," She chased after him. "Don't you understand? This could mean fame or fortune."

"No thanks." Rocky Jr. remembered the days when his mother lectured his father on fighting. She hated it. Rocky Jr. hated that he loved it.

"Please, at least take my card and think about it." She handed it to him.

He took one last look at her and walked inside.

His apartment was dark. Empty. Quiet.

He flipped the card over and over in his hands.

If he did this, would his father be the only one anyone ever saw? If he did win, would his victory be stolen by his father's name?

He wrestled with the idea relentlessly. He rubbed his tired eyes and stared at the number. Concetti, nice Italian name. He smiled. His father would like her.

Sighing, he reached for his cell and dialed her number.

It seemed almost inevitable that he became a fighter.

After all, it was in his blood.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the feedback! Enjoy.**

Rocky Jr. walked into the gym, acting like a guy with confidence, secretly knowing better. Sweat and determination filled the air.

He heard grunts and the pounding of heavy weight bags.

In an instant, he was young again, watching his father. There was a magic to the way he moved. He thought back to one day in particular…

"_Ayo, Pauley. You brought the kid with you?" His father, a legend in his son's eyes, took out his mouthpiece to smile at him. _

_He felt pride whenever his father noticed him. He felt important. Rocky Jr. loved his father._

_Everyone knew that this seven year old kid from Philly worshipped his father._

_And he wasn't the only one._

_Mickey's gym was growing more popular by the minute. Tourists even came to snap photo's. _

_Mickey had passed. A tragic day for the world of boxing. _

_A devastating blow for Rocky. Time went on, but he knew even at a young age, that his father wasn't the same. It was in his eyes. He left half of his heart behind when they buried Mickey._

"_Hey kid." Rocky looked down at his son._

"_Yea dad?" His smile was automatic._

"_How 'bout you and me do some sparring."_

"_Really!" Rocky Jr. jumped into the ring without hesitation._

_His mother hated fighting and would never let him in the ring. She would be mad if she knew he was here but Uncle Pauley said what she doesn't know won't hurt her._

_His gloves were taped around his wrist. His mouth guard was in. And his heart was pounding. He was going to spar with his dad. A real fighter._

"_First thing, son," Rocky said as he bounced lightly from side to side, "You have to be light on your feet."_

_Rocky Jr charged for his dad and swung away ignoring the advice._

_Rocky laughed and held him at arms length._

"_Let's try this again. Go back to your corner. Watch me."_

_His father jabbed the air with his left. Then his right. Starting off slow, then speeding up. _

_His fists were faster then lightning._

_Rocky Jr let his arms down in amazement. _

"_Now, follow me…." His father said._

_And he did. For many years. Until time took him away…_

Rocky Jr. lifted his shoulders up and down, trying to loosen up. He came here not knowing what to expect.

"Rocky, so glad you came." Brianna welcomed him with a smile as bright as the sun. Rocky Jr. ignored his heart when it skipped a beat.

At the mention of his father's name, everyone in the gym went still.

He could feel a thousand eyes weighing him down.

"Please, call me Jr." He said, as he followed her to the center ring.

"Alright. This is where you will be training today. Duke will be out shortly. In the meantime, I will show you to your locker room."

Rocky Jr. followed her and listened as she explained the rules of the gym. No steroids. No stealing. No unnecessary roughness.

When she was done, she picked up a duffle bag and headed toward the back.

"Wait, where are you going?" Rocky Jr. sounded pathetic, even to his own ears.

"To change in the women's locker room. Is that alright with you?"

She looked annoyed. But she couldn't have been more beautiful.

"Wait, change for what?" He asked, immediately regretting it.

"Women box too." She stormed off not even bothering to glance back.

Correction, now she was off the charts gorgeous.

Rocky rubbed his neck and tried to shake the nerves.

Duke was as much a legend as his father was.

He trained his father.

Rocky Jr. tried not to think of all the ways he knew he would never measure up.

* * *

After he changed, he headed out to the main floor. The gym was busy. Buckets of spit were being replaced every two seconds. There were grunts of pure adrenalin as the intense work outs commensed.

"Well, well, Rocky Jr. It's an honor son." Duke greeted him with a smile and a handshake. "I knew your father well. It's my pleasure to be training you."

"Thank you sir." Rocky Jr. didn't return the smile.

He couldn't.

Thoughts of his father always left him feeling conflicted.

"Shall we?" Duke stepped on the rope to make an opening for him.

Rocky Jr. shook his head in agreement.

We shall.

"Stick the jab. Keep her head down!"

About a half hour later, Rocky Jr. was drenched in sweat. His opponent didn't look phased. Duke yelled at him over and over. He kept messing up.

"Again!" Duke rang the bell.

Rocky Jr. kept an eye on his opponent. He quickly darted to the right. Rocky Jr. jabbed with his left. He missed.

A blinding pain shot across his torso as his opponent hit him in his side. He had an urge to hold his rib that was throbbing but his pride stopped him.

Out of breath, he darted from left to right. Keeping light in his feet.

He wasn't quick enough.

Rocky Jr. flinched as he saw the hit coming. The glove connected with his jaw sending him flying into the ropes and landing on the mat. He fell hard. He was tempted to stay down. But he was determined not to give up.

He pushed himself up with the last bit of strength he had, only to be knocked down again.

Disappointed in himself, he screamed and tossed off his headgear.

* * *

He made it back to the locker room before he noticed someone in the doorway.

Rocky Jr. sat on a bench, silent.

"You know, giving up is never the answer." Duke's deep voice echoed off the walls.

"Easy for you to say." Rocky Jr. looked down, ashamed.

"Son, it's not easy for me to say. Do you know how many times I wanted to quit this life? But I didn't. Because its as much a part of me as it is a part of you. But your heart has to be in it. Why did you say yes?"

"What?" Rocky Jr. glanced up.

"Why did you come here?"

Silence.

"Do you want to fight?"

"I don't know." His mother's disapproving face flashed before his eyes.

"Well, until you figure it out, you're wasting both of our time. And it's a shame. Because you're actually quite good."

Duke left Rocky Jr. brooding in silence.

He knew she was there before he turned his head.

"Don't." Rocky Jr. whispered.

"I didn't say anything." Brianna replied.

"You didn't have too."

"Look," She said as she made her way to the bench and sat down, "It's your first day. Don't give up." She looked at him. Concern in her eyes. Or was it pity?

"Maybe I'm not the guy you're looking for." He looked at her tenderly.

"You are the guy we're looking for. Problem is you don't see yourself."

She got up to leave. She hesitated at the doorway and looked at him one last time.

"If you walk out that door today and never come back, then at least you can say you tried. But if you walk back in that ring right now you can say you conquered your fear. You can hold your head high, and know that so much greatness is in store for you. You just have to get out of your own way…"

"And how do you know this about me?"

"Because I see you."

She smiled sadly at him and left him sitting on the bench alone and contemplating his future.


End file.
